Suspendible brooder heater with tumbling feature



pt 1952 w. RUSNAK Er AL 2,610,285

SUSPENDIBLE BROODER HEATER- WITH 'ruusunc FEATURE Filed Oct. 12; 1951 I INVENTORS', WLZZ all: Bus/Zak and; WlZb/i G, SZOZL Patented Sept. 9, 1952 SUSPENDIBLE BROODER WITH I ITUMBLING FEATURE William Rusnak, Chicago, and Wilbert G. Stoll, Evanston, Ill., assignors to Aico-Litc corporation, Chicago, Ill.

Application'october 12, 1951, Serial No. 251,022

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a heater for use in a chicken brooder. In particular .it has reference to a heater arranged to be suspended from an overhead support and to direct its heat substantially downwardly.

One form of heater commonly used in brooders comprises a reflector and one or more infra-red electric lamps carried below the reflector, this latter being held to a ceiling rafter or other support by chains or wire. However there is the ever-present danger of failure of an insecure suspension which is the result of rust or some other factor and which allows the heater to drop to the floor. Because of the presence of feathers, wood chips or other highly combustible material, as well as the wooden floor itself, a serious fire hazard is presented. Suspended brooder heaters employing infra-red lamps have been known to drop to the floor accidentally, and to have started fires merely by resting upon or near such combustible material.

Fire insurance companies have refused to write .policies covering structures in which brooder heaters of the character aforesaid have been used, or else to specify a rate which has been prohibitive, unless provision is made to eliminate the fire hazard created by the lamps coming into hazardous adjacency with the combustible material.

Accordingly a principal object of our invention is to provide a brooder heater for the purpose stated which includes means for automatically positioning the heater in a non-hazardous orientation in the event the same drops from its support to the floor or upon any substantially horizontal surface.

Another object is to provide safety means in accordance with the foregoing object which is light in weight, sturdy to an extent that dropping of the brooder will not injure the same to defeat the safety feature, which interferes with full radiation of heat from the lamps to an immaterial degree, and which need not be removed when lamps are to be installed or the reflector cleaned.

Further objects will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which latter:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a brooder heater incorporating the features of our invention;

Fig. 2 shows a side elevational view of the same resting upon a horizontal or substantially horizontal surface but restrained manually against tumbling; and

Fig. 3 shows the heater after it has tumbled to a safe position.

Generally regarded the invention comprises the incorporation with a heating arrangement of well-known form of a guard or cage for surrounding the lamps and to space them from an adjacent solid object by a specified amount. The guard includes a lower portion of substantially hemispherical configuration, and an upper portion of substantially frusto-conical form, the equatorial plane of the hemispherical part being congruent with the base of the frusto-conical part, and the axis of the latter being aligned with the radial axis of the hemisphere. Such aXis, may also be the principal axis of the reflector, lamps and other appurtenant parts, e. g. a thermostatic control for temperature.

Inevitably some detail of construction of the assembly other than the guard is always such that the device is in unstable equilibrium when placed on its hemispherical end on some substantially horizontal surface and therefore, if the device accidentally drops upon such surface the inherent instability will cause the device to roll over on its side, i. e. resting. upon the lateral surface represented by the conical elements, will there rest safely until attended to.

Turning to Fig. 1 there is shown by way of example areflector [0 representing also what may be termed the body of the device andupon which a plurality of sockets (not shown) is carried. Secured within the sockets are the several electric lamps. l3 which are generally 01 the infra-red type, and are so positioned as to function when spaced a selected distance from the floor, in heating a predetermined circular area. The temperature of the space which the device is intended to serve controls the action of a ther mostatic switch I4 mounted at a convenient location upon the reflector, and which is effective to turn the lamps on and off as required to maintain the preselected temperature. For supporting the device on an overhead support (not shown), a plurality of chains 15 is provided.

The invention improvement resides in combining with the heater a cage or guard 16 mounted upon the periphery of the reflector In by any suitable means. Such guard includes a plurality of peripherally distributed rodor wire-like elements I! each including a curved lower portion l8 and a straight upper portion l9. Preferably spot-welded hoops 2i and 22 are employed to augment the rigidity of the guard [6. Thus, assuming a curvature of the lower portion which is substantially quadrantal the group of elements,

, 3 at least insofar as concerns these lower portions may be regarded as comprising a hemispherical configuration for the case, while the straight upper portion tapered, as they preferably are, inwardly may be jointly regarded as comprising a frusto-conical configuration. However the exact form, which the cage may take is not of too much consequence just as long as it comprises a convex lower portion upon which the device may roll over to a reclining position in toppling from the substantially erect position it,

will inevitably first occupy upon dropping (Fig. 2).

Thus the heat of the lampsis directed away from combustible matter lying upon or constitute ing the floor (Fig. 3). In the foregoing connection it will be understood that inherent instability of the device is necessary for such tumbling posif low the axis of rotation represented by a diam-,

eter of the hemisphere inasmuch as the device may be righted only by being liftedagainst substantially the. entire weight thereof ,to' an erect position. Stated otherwise, it is impossible,.following dropping of the device, ,to cause; such: disturbance of the inherent instability-as toT-result in an oscillatory or rocking motion of such character as may lead to resumption of an erect, and hence dangerous, position. i .1.

It will be understood that, if desired, the..cag e may be of reticulate construction. Howeveritoo large a proportion of'metal tOiOPGII space will tend to defeat the functionof the device by'blocking the rays from the lamps. Accordinglyiwe prefer a minimum of rods ,for eifeotingythe tumbling function.) 'r l .i

While 'we have, in order to facilitate fabrication of the bottom junction ofthe several elements I1 shown a ring 24, its diameter .in relation to the lateral position of the center of gravityiis such that tumbling of the device in the intended manner is not obstructed. 1

While we have shown a particular embodiment of our invention, it will be understood; of course,

I 4 that we do not wish to be limited thereto since many modifications may be made, and we therefore contemplate by the appended claim to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit andscope of our invention.

Havin thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: A'.heater"for afchicken brooder comprising a reflector arranged with its active surface directed downwardly, a plurality of electric heat lamps mounted on said refiector to direct heat downwardly,"nieans for suspending said reflector from a fixed support, a thermostat mounted on said reflector for controlling the circuit for said lamps, and a wire guard for said lamps attached to said reflector andhaving a substantially hemisphericalbottom portion and substantially straight portions connectin said substantially hemispherical portions to said reflector, andsaid heater as a unit having a center of gravity laterally displaced from its geometrical vertical axis, whereby when the heater is lowered to the floor it is caused to roll over on its side and remain in that position.

WILLIAM RUSNAK, WILBERT G. STOLL;

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordinthe file of this patent'i UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 7 Name Date 1,241,172 .Vbndla Shk Sept. 25, 1917 r 1,320,902 Newton' f Nov-.4, 1919 1,402,735 Benjamin Jan. 10, 1922 1,556,403 Bis sell ljwi Oct. 6, 1925 1,917,990 Mattison July 11, 1933 2,081,395 D11 B015 May 25,- 1937 2,221,045 Edington Nov. 12, 1940 2,309,720 Washburn Feb. 2, 1943 2,435,678 Goebel Feb. '10, 1948 2,473,0o nlyliskella Aug. 2, 1949 2,5l0,0Q1 7 Yan Duzer May 30, 1950' 2,515,659 Michab July 18, 1950 FOREIGN"' PATENTS Number Country Date Y 326,326 Great Britain Mar. 13, 1930 OTHER REFERENCES Infra-Red in Industry, by William J. Miskella, copyright 194'7. See page 51, Model B. 

